Evaporating apparatus



Feb. 7, 1933. F. x. GOVERS EVAPORATING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 5, 1928 V maze (IT/All '45 41mm" ilk/Ynez lllllllll (L Feb. 7, 1933.

F. X. GOVERS EVAPORATING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Condenser/e Feb; 7, 1933.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb; 7, 1933. F. x. GOVERS EVAPORATING APPARATUS File d NOV. 5, 1928 5' Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANCIS K. GOVEBS, OF LAWBENOEVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 INDIAN REFINING COMPANY, OF LAWRENCEVILLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE EVAPORA'IING APPARATUS Application filed November 5, 1928. Serial No. 317,298.

My invention relates to an evaporating apparatus particularly designed for the evaporation or distillation of oil, and more particularly to apparatus for distillation at rela- 6 tively high temperature of those portions of petroleum oils from which lubricating 011s are manufactured.

The apparatus includes a still advantageously vertically arranged, a condenser mounted on and in direct commun1cat1on with said still, indirect heating means for heating the liquid in the still, means for supplying vapors at high temperature to said indirect heating means, and means for avoid ing undue strains due to expansion and contraction under varying temperature conditions. p

The apparatus is particularly designed for distillation of oil under subatmospheric pressure.

My invention includes these and other features of construction and arrangement as described and shown in the following description and drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the oil heater element;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a boiler for delivering hot vapor to the oil heater;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the condenser;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view on plane 5, 5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig.6 is a detail.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the apparatus consists of an eva orator 6, having an outlet 8 connected by a e 9 to the inlet 10 to the condenser 11. ondenser 11 is connected to receiver 12 by means of a barometric discharge pipe 13. The condenser 11 is further provided with a water inlet 14 and water outlet 15, and is connected to a jet ejector 16 by means of pipe 17.

The heating element 5 (shown in detail in Fig. 2) and the evaporator 6 are connected by a circulating system comprising downtake pipe 19, circulating pump 20 and up-take pipe 21. The heating element 5 (see Fig. 2)

comprises an outer shell 22, provided with headers 23 and 24 into which are expanded tubes 25. The upper header 23 is secured to the shell 22 which has, at its lower end an enlarged portion 22 within which is a packing chamber. Extending upwardly from the header 24 is a cylindrical shell 24, between which and 22 packing material, advantageously asbestos fiber, is located, which is held in place by a gland member 60. This arrangement allows for expansion of the tubes Without undue strain. At its upper portion the shell 22 is surrounded by a jacket 26, the intermediate space being advantageously filled with heat insulating material 27. This construction need not be further specifically described, as itwill be apparent from the drawings. The heating element is advantageously heated by hot vapor entering through the neck 30 from the pipe 31, provided with valve 56, which is connected to the boiler 32. The heating vapor passes upwardly around through the space between shells 22 and the shell 33 which surrounds the tubes 25, through which the oil passes, and the vapor then flows downwardly in contact with these tubes. The vapor is thereby condensed and collects in the bottom of the chamber above the header 24, and flows outwardly through the neck 34 which is connected to the pipe 35 leading to a pump 36 by which it is returned through pipe 57 having check valve 58 to pump 39 and thence through pipe 37 leading into a chamber 37 at the bottom of the boiler 32.

The boiler 32 is supplied with a high boiling point liquid, such as diphenyl, delivered by supply pump (not shown) through pipe 38 leading to a circulating pump 39 from which it is delivered by pipe 37 into chamber 37 and thence into a series of tubes 41 mounted between headers 42, 43. The bank of tubes 41 is mounted within a brickwork stack 44 which may be heated in any suitable manner, as by hot gases delivered into the lower portion of the heating chamber 45 through a connection 46 (shown in dotted line) leading to any suitable heat supply. The liquid passing through the pipes is delivered against a spreader 62 into a vapor chamber 47 having a safety valve 61, from which chamber the vapors are delivered through pipe 31 and pressure regulating valves 56, 56' to the vapor inlet 30 of the heating element 5. v

The unva orized liquid passes from the chamber 47 t rough the pipe 48 to the pump 39 and is circulated through the heated tub es. These pipes 48, 31 and 35 are provided with suitable bends to provide for expansion and contraction.

From the heating chamber 45 the hot gases may be delivered into a stack 50.

As a high boiling liquid, I may advantageously use melted diphenyl, which melts at about 158 F. and boils at about 485 F., and at a pressure of approximately 110 pounds has a temperature of about 750 F.

By means of the system shown, the tubes in the heating element 5 are externally heatedby the hot diphenyl vapor and can therefore be readily maintained at any desired temperature.

The oil is continuously forced upwardly P by the pump 20 through the heated tubes 25 and the mixed liquids and vapors are discharged against the spreader 51 in order to permit the separation of the oil vapors from the li uid oil which flows downwardly throng the pipe 19 to the pump 20.

The temperature of the vapor delivered I through pipe 31 is controlled by varying the pressure under which the high-boiling point li uid is vaporized. The temperature of the tribes through which the oil is circulated can thus be accurately controlled. The rate at which the oil is heated in its passage through the heated tubes maybe controlled by vary-' in the speed of the circulating pump 20.

There can thus readily be maintained any desired temperature difference between the heated surfaces and the flowing oil in contact therewith, thereby enablin the gradual, uniform heatin of the b0 y of oil to the desired distillation temperature without any danger of overheating portions thereof, and cuts may be taken ofi within as narrow ran es of temperature as considerations may ictate.

All pi s conveying hot liquids or vapors are heavily insulated to. avoid loss of heat, and all ipes containing diphenyl are provided with means for liquefaction or for maintaining the diphenyl in liquid state.

The pipes 19 and 20 are provided with slip joints 52 and 53 to provide for expansion and contraction.

The heating element is also provided, as above described, with means including the member 60 for permitting movement due to expansion and contraction because of varying temperature conditions of the shell 24, connected to and forming part of the tube sheet 24, which is in turn connected to pipe lipe 21 is free to move in the slip joint 53.

This arrangement permits the up and down movement of the lower tube sheet, and thus avoids undue strains.

The system is provided at all necessary points with heat and pressure indicating devices.

One form of condenser which has been found in practice to be advantageous is shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The condenser 11 as a whole is supported on a neck 10, by a flanged connection 9 to the outlet 8 of evaporator 6. Secured to the inner Wall of the neck 10, as by electric welding, is an upwardly extending vapor pipe 70, around which is a casing 71, enclosing heat insulating material 72.

Extending across the shell 73, and above the outlet of vapor pipe 70, is a tube sheet 74, from which depend tubes 75, into the space between the vapor pipe and the shell.

73. These tubes are closed at their bottoms by caps 76, secured to a grid 77, which is suported by angle irons carried by shell 73.

A second tube sheet 78 extends across the shell above the tube sheet 74, and from this upper tube sheet 78 depend open-ended pipes 79, of smaller diameter than tubes 75, and extending to the lower ends thereof. Into the chamber 82 formed between this upper sheet 78, and the top 80 of the condenser, ex-- tends a pipe 14 for cooling liquid, such as Water. Fromthis chamber 82 the cooling liquid flows down through pipes 79 and up through pipes 75, discharging from the upper ends of pipes 79 into the chamber between the two tube sheets, from which the liquid is discharged through pipes 15, 15'.

The tube sheets are braced by a perforated diaphragm 85. At its lower portion, the condenser is provided with a shell 86, secured hermetically, as by welding, to shell 73. At the upper portion of the shell is a pipe connection 17, to which may be connected a vacuum producing apparatus. Covered manholes 88, 88, are provided in the shell 86 to afford means of access. One or more exit openings to which are connected pipes 13, 13, serve for discharge of the condensed liquid. Advantageously there is provided a hood 90 extending between the bottom of shell 86 and casing 71.

In operation, the hot vapors rising through the heat insulated tube are discharged against the surrounding cooled tubes and the condensed liquid collects in the bottom portion of the structure in the chamber 91.

As shown, this self-contained condenser is mounted directly upon and in open communication with the vapor space of the still 6, and is thus free to expand and contract in accordance with variations in temperature.

It will be evident that by the use of this apparatus the oil to be distilled can be gradually heated to the required temperature without any possibility of overheating such as is liable to occur in fire-heated pipe stills or cylinder stills, since the temperature difference between the heated surface and the oil contacting therewith can be controlled as desired or required.

I have described in which has, in practice, been found to be particularly well adapted for the distillation of petroleum oils to obtain lubricating fractions, but the apparatus is obviously adapted for other uses involving relatively high temperature evaporation or distillatio I claim:

1. Distilling apparatus comprising a still, an indirect heating element comprising a shell and circulation heating tubes secured therein and projecting a substantialdistance into the interior of the still, means for circulating the distilling liquid from the still through the tubes and back again, heat generating means adapted to generate a vaporous heating medium from a rapidly circulating stream of organic liquid, means for cyclically circulating the heating medium through the shell and exteriorly over the tubes of the heating element, condensing means in vapor communication with the still and means or maintaining a vacuum on said condenser and still.

2. Distilling apparatus comprising a still a shell and tube heating element with one en projecting into the interior of the still, means for circulating the distilling liquid from the still through the tubes of the element and back again, generating means adapted to supply an organic vaporous heating medium for the heating element comprising a vertical cylindrical furnace setting, a tubular heating sectionextending through the furnace setting with its upper end terminating in a vapor and liquid separating chamber, means for passing gaseous products of combustion through t e setting over the exterior surfaces of the tubular section, a vapor conduit communicating between the separating chamber and the shell of the shell and tube heating element, means for continuously and cyclically circulating an unvaporized port1on of the heating medium through the tubular heating section and the separating chamber, and means for continuously, withdrawing condensed heating vapors from the shell 0 the shell and tube heating element and for returning them to the tubular heating section along with the circulating liquid.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

FRANCIS X. GOVERS.

detail an apparatus 

